House of Cards (Tech Billionaires)

by Ainsley St Claire

  Scrolling through the pictures, everyone has a smile and a glint in their eye. We had so much fun this past Saturday. My student was Alicia, and she was a rock star. She’s a senior, so this was her final year. She’s won all three years and was so excited. We walked the store for over four hours, and I’m pretty sure she talked the entire time. She was a complete delight, but I was exhausted by the end. She promised she’d bring her father to the Christmas event. Her mother is away, nursing a sick parent in El Salvador. Their family may not have much, but they sure have a lot of love.

  I spot pictures of Christopher, and he and his mentee are having a Nerf gun war in the aisles. It’s so him. Then I see one of Caroline looking at nail polish with her mentee. It really is great to see so many people having fun together.

  After looking through the photos of San Francisco, I click into a store in St Paul and see a few people I recognize there. And in Florida, I spot Stevie looking at baby goods with his mentee. I wonder if he’s buying for himself or his mentee is buying. And then I can’t help but look through the Las Vegas photos. I find Jonnie—who I didn’t even know had volunteered—in a picture with a young boy and a cart that’s overflowing. Obviously, that student maximized his money.

  Jonnie looks good, and my heart aches when I think of him. I reach out to touch the screen and feel tears fill my eyes. I miss him so much. He’s so handsome in a pair of khakis and a blue striped button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

  There is another of him standing with his mentee, and they both smile wide for the camera. The other photos highlight some of the local celebrities who volunteered.

  I go through the pictures slowly a second time to look more closely. I spot Jonnie in the background of another picture talking to Queen Diva, though you’d hardly know it was her. The tabloids have been taking her to town over her divorce.

  In another shot, I catch Jonnie laughing with a pretty blonde, and my stomach clenches. Seeing him with someone else physically hurts me.

  I groan and try to shake it off. He hasn’t reached out since I left my message. I don’t know what that means—I guess that he’s not interested in getting together over the holidays anymore? I’m so bad at this. My lack of experience in relationships really makes sorting out this sort of stuff difficult. I was just hoping he’d at least call me back—even if it was to tell me it wouldn’t work. I tried putting myself out there, and I don’t now what more I can do.

  Either way, I’ll be in Vegas in a few weeks, and I’m sure I’ll see him at the hotel. Hopefully, by that time, I’ll be able to smile and be nice to him, regardless of how he’s feeling about me. I did so many things wrong with him. It’s easy to see that now.

  Still, I can’t help myself; I pick one of the pictures of him with his mentee and send him a text.

  Me: Thanks for supporting Operation Happy Holiday. I saw this photo and thought you’d enjoy a copy.

  The little dots immediately begin rotating, and I anxiously await his response.

  Jonnie: Thanks. It was a lot of fun.

  That’s anticlimactic.

  Me: Great to hear. I hope you can stop by during the baby shower.

  Jonnie: Planning on it.

  He doesn’t respond after that. I wait and keep checking my phone all day, but there’s nothing. At the end of the day, I turn my computer off and head home. This heartache is the type where the sun doesn’t shine and the world is gray. I resolve that my experience with Jonnie will be my teacher and the reason to keep seeking real love.

  Chapter 40

  Jonathan

  “What do you mean, she doesn’t have a reservation here?” I demand.

  Connie, my most accomplished concierge, is starting to look nervous. She works her way through the reservations for the Reinhardt combo baby shower again. Guests are arriving for the event, and I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. Maggie may not respond to my messages, but she can’t avoid me in person. She’s not getting out of here before we have a real conversation. I thought she would have been here by now.

  “Does she have a room in a neighboring hotel?”

  “I couldn’t say, Mr. Best.”

  I’m upset, but not with Connie. I pick up my phone and dial Gillian. “Do you know where Maggie Reinhardt is staying?”

  “I don’t. She just said she didn’t need a reservation,” Gillian reports.

  Well, maybe that means she’s staying with me? My heart leaps. “When does she arrive?”

  “She’s been here all week,” Gillian informs me.

  “All week?” I pinch the bridge of my nose. What the hell? Connie is staring at me, waiting for direction. “Can you please call all the hotels on the Strip and find out if anyone has a reservation for a Margaret or Maggie Reinhardt?”

  “Of course, sir. I’ll text you once I find her,” she says, doing her best to smile.

  I see Christopher and Bella crossing the lobby.

  “Jonnie!” Bella calls.

  I hug them both. Bella looks stunning. She’s glowing and all belly.

  “Pregnancy suits you,” I tell her. “You’re positively beautiful.”

  She grins. “Thank you. I feel huge.”

  “You don’t look it.” I turn to Christopher. “Where are Stevie and Maggie? I need to meet Murphy, too.”

  “Did I just hear my name?” a voice says behind me.

  I turn and spot Stevie with his beautiful girlfriend, Genevieve. I greet them both and tell Genevieve, “You’re glowing.”

  “Beware, I think this man has a pregnant-woman fetish,” Bella warns.

  Everyone laughs.

  “I can’t help it.” I point at Christopher and Stevie. “I remember both of these dweebs when they couldn’t get a girl to look at them twice, and now not only do they have stunning women in their lives, they even knocked them up.”

  Christopher puffs out his chest. “We’re studs.”

  Another couple arrives, and right away I notice the Reinhardt resemblance. The women hug and Christopher makes the introductions. “Murphy, Anna, this is Jonathan Best. He is my best friend, the owner of this fine resort, and our host this weekend.”

  “So nice to meet you both,” I tell them. “I’m so glad you all decided to have your shower here. You’re pregnant with twins?” I ask Anna.

  She nods and sighs. “And they’re very active today.” She holds her belly and grimaces.

  “Unbelievable. You make carrying twins look easy.”

  She smiles and winks at me. “Aren’t you the sweet talker.”

  “We’ve determined he has a pregnant-woman fetish,” Bella notes.

  I grin and shrug.

  The conversation quickly deteriorates.

  “We’re all having dinner tonight together at the Grill,” I announce, hoping to regain some control. “Where’s Maggie? She’s the only one missing.” I silently hope someone will tell me where she is.

  “She said she’d join us for dinner,” Anna says.

  “I haven’t seen her yet. I’d love to catch up with her,” I tell them.

  We stand around and talk for a few minutes, but I can tell the women are ready to take a break. “I can offer you wonderful non-alcoholic drinks in the VIP lounge if you’d like to sit down and put your feet up?”

  “Sounds great. I’m in the mood for a virgin mojito,” Genevieve announces.

  “Ohhh, that sounds fabulous,” Bella agrees.

  I walk everyone over to the VIP bar and get them settled. My phone rings, and I see it’s Connie.

  “Yes?”

  “Mr. Best? This is Connie at the concierge desk.”

  “What did you learn?”

  “I don’t have good news, I’m afraid. There are no reservations for a Margaret or Maggie Reinhardt anywhere on the Strip, downtown or off-Strip.”

  “Thank you, Connie. I appreciate you looking.”

  “Of course.” She hangs up, and I’m truly stumped about what she’s up to.

  Christopher looks up from his pho
ne. “Maggie is on her way over. We’ll be complete.”

  Sure enough, a few minutes later she arrives, and my heart jumps to my throat. She looks amazing. I hadn’t realized my memories of her had begun to fade, or maybe now that she’s not hiding in my apartment, she has her typical glow about her again. She gives everyone hugs and kisses, and when she gets to me, she offers a forced smile.

  “Jonathan, so nice to see you again.”

  Jonathan? I’ve been Jonnie since we were in elementary school. WTF?

  “When did you arrive in town?” I ask.

  “A week ago.”

  Bella and Anna begin peppering her with questions, and she essentially ignores me. Talk about a blow to my ego.

  “Well, I need to get a few things done before I meet you all for dinner. I’ll see you in an hour,” I say.

  They wave goodbye, and I go to my office. On the way I see Gillian.

  “Hey,” she says.

  “Hi. Are we ready for the group tomorrow?”

  “Yep. And it looks like they’re doing another game tomorrow night after the shower.”

  “Good. The event starts at three and ends with dinner?”

  “Yes, but the bouncy castle and the ice cream sundae buffet will remain in place all night for anyone who wants them. We’re not kicking anyone out. The weather is a bit cold to swim, but with the heating lamps, all the attendees will be fine to hang out as long as they need or want to.”

  I nod. Rather than going to my office, I walk over to The Grill. We have a private room reserved.

  “Mario, the women in this group are drinking a lot of virgin mojitos. They may change their minds, but let’s make sure we have plenty of limes and are ready for that.”

  “Of course, Mr. Best.”

  A little while later, I hear them before I see them. I turn around and spot the motley crew. This is my family. I adore them all.

  Anna insists we alternate men and women around the table, so I sit between Bella and, fortunately, Maggie. I smell her soft floral perfume and it alone makes my pants a bit tighter. She looks stunning in capri pants and a blouse that accentuates all of her assets. I daydream a moment and wonder how beautiful she’ll look when she gets pregnant.

  “Why didn’t you tell me when you were arriving?” I ask.

  “You didn’t seem interested. I left you a message after you asked me to come for the holidays and invited you to our Christmas in Minnie, but I never heard a thing from you.”

  I’m at a loss, and I can feel my heart beating against my ribs. “I promise I didn’t get any messages from you. I would have called you back, and I would have come. I swear!”

  “I saw the picture of you and the GM of The Gates. You looked very cozy,” she says feigning indifference.

  “There’s a picture of us?” I’m completely confused.

  “Yes, it’s in Las Vegas Living.”

  “Ahh, I remember that. Jennifer is happily married to her partner, Rachel, and they snapped that picture as we were talking about Cecelia Lancaster’s disappearance. We lost track of her in a blind spot between our camera coverages.”

  “I didn’t know that,” she murmurs.

  “Why didn’t you tell me when you were coming?” I ask.

  “I did, just before Christmas.”

  “But I asked you to give me your dates, and I asked you to stay with me.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  I’m positive I did.

  I pull out my cell phone to show her. Then I see an error next to two messages that were never sent. I turn the phone toward her. “When you sent the picture of me and Alex from the Operation Happy Holiday shopping day, we were dealing with Frankie. He’d violated the restraining order, and LVPD and Shangri-la security were arresting him. I don’t understand why they didn’t go through, and I’m sorry I didn’t realize it until now. I also don’t know why I never got your message. But you have to know, I’ve missed you so much.”

  She reviews the text messages. “And you’re not dating anyone?”

  I look up at the table. “Can you all excuse us a moment?”

  They hardly pay attention as I grab Maggie’s hand and walk her out to the casino. I take both her hands in mine and look her in the eye.

  “I’m not dating anyone. I’m in love with you, Maggie. I have been since I was fifteen. Like I told you, I built this place for you, and the time we had together here was fantastic. I was devastated when you left, and I’ve watched every ounce of news coverage I could find to keep track of how you’re doing. I will do whatever it takes to have you in my life, and if you don’t want to be here in Las Vegas, I will sell the hotel and move to Minneapolis or San Francisco or Timbuktu for you. I still have the software business, and I can run that from anywhere. Just tell me what you want.”

  “You’d sell the Shangri-la for me?” She’s wide eyed, and her mouth is open.

  “Yes. I only want it if you want it.”

  She turns away from me and crosses her arms. When she turns back, she rubs her hands over her face. “I don’t know what I want.”

  I grab her hand and lead her toward my apartment. We need privacy to hash this out. “Maggie, you mean everything to me,” I say as we walk. “I wish I was better at telling you this, but I want to have you in my life.”

  She shuts her eyes, and tears cascade down her cheeks.

  “Why are you crying? Are you okay?”

  “I missed you so much, and thought you’d changed your mind about me.”

  We step in the elevator, and once the doors close, I push her up against the wall. “I didn’t change my mind. You’re the only woman in the world for me.” I lean down, and our kiss is electric. When the elevator opens at my floor, I go to the wall safe in my apartment and take out the Cartier box.

  I open it and get on one knee. “Maggie, I bought this for you the day after Christopher’s wedding. I’ve known my whole life we were made for each other. You’re everything to me. When I’m with you, the world is in color. Please make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

  Maggie begins to tear up. “I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. I was so worried about you, and then my life has been crazy, and I realize over and over that I don’t know how to do any of this because of my mother.”

  “Your mother is a flat-out bitch. I love you. Please, you’re doing fine, and you mean the world to me.”

  She’s crying now, and I can’t be sure those are tears of joy.

  Then, leaning down, she takes my face with both of her hands and kisses me. “Jonnie, I love you so much. Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  My heart beats fast, and I pump my arm in the air. I slip the ring on her finger, and our lips meet and tongues explore. I pick her up and swing her around. “You make me so happy.”

  “Don’t sell the Shangri-la. I can live anywhere. Murphy’s running the company, and I’m doing what I love with the Foundation.”

  My cell phone pings.

  Christopher: Where are you? Dinner is on the table and we’re waiting.

  Me: We’re on our way. Start without us.

  “We need to get back. Can we tell them?”

  “I’d love to keep this secret between us for a while, but you’ll never get them all together again.” She smiles, and her eyes sparkle. “Now, I can’t guarantee they won’t beat the crap out of you, but if you’re ready, let’s do it.”

  In the elevator, I move in close. “I don’t care where you’ve been staying, but tonight, you’re staying with me and we’re going to celebrate.”

  “I’m staying in Queen Diva’s guest house.”

  “She knew and I didn’t that you were coming to town?” I ask incredulously.

  “I sent her a picture of her shopping with her Operation Happy Holiday student, and when I told her I was coming, she insisted.”

  “I’m going to fire that woman,” I mutter.

  “Why?” Maggie frowns.

  “She didn’t tell me,” I say.

  “I
asked her not to. But I will tell you, she’s quite a fan of yours.”

  “Well, the feeling is mutual.”

  When we walk back into the private dining room, everyone is almost done with their dinners.

  “It’s about time,” Stevie announces. “What was so important that you had to run off?”

  I hold up Maggie’s hand. “I needed to propose.”

  “What?” The girls are squealing, and we’re surrounded by everyone.

  “Congratulations!” Murphy announces.

  “Finally!” Christopher says.

  Once things settle down, we sit and begin to eat.

  “You know, I’d warn anyone looking to join our family about how crazy things are, but you know better than anyone,” Christopher says. “I’ve always called you my brother, and this will make it official.”

  Champagne and sparkling cider appear, and we toast and celebrate. As happy as I am, I’m anxious to get Maggie back to my apartment alone, and I’m grateful when the pregnant ladies want to end the night early.

  “I’ve not seen much of your hotel. I’d love a tour,” Murphy says.

  “I’m happy to provide that tomorrow. When do you think you’d be available?” I ask.

  “Don’t you want to go out with us?” Stevie asks.

  “Nope.” I want to celebrate naked with Maggie.

  “Okay, we can just hang out at your place and watch the game,” Christopher says

  I look him up and down. “If you think I’m going to let you guys cockblock me, you have another thing coming.”

  He grins at me. “She’s my sister. It’s our job to cockblock you.”

  Maggie puts her hands on her hips. “Go away. Go somewhere else. You will not ruin this night for us.”

  They hang their heads and snicker as they leave.

  “You know, I really like it when you’re bossy,” I tell her.